Buying a house can be a daunting task, even for someone who has owned several homes. Here aresome helpful hints for the first time property buyers:

Use your online resources. Almost every state and local government has a website where you can research real estate information. The data on home sales, taxes, and neighborhoods is invaluable when you are shopping for a home.

Be realistic about how much you can spend.Try to buy a home in a price range that allows you to put down 20%. If you put down less than this, you will have to pay PMI (private mortgage insurance) to protect the lender in case you default on the loan.

Shop for a home in the winter, preferably around the holidays. Since most people just aren’t interested in buying a home whenthey are trying to deal with the holidays, you can pretty much be one of the few buyers out there.

Always have a home inspection. Most people know this fact already, but it is really important in areas with a hot real estate market. It can be easy to get caught up in bidding wars, and to want to get a house at all costs